Automatic vacuum clearers for drawing frames and the like



Sept. 16, 1958 I T. J. COMBER 2,

AUTOMATIC VACUUM CLEANERS FOR DRAWING FRAMES AND THE LIKE Filed May 24,1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 P 1958 T. J. COMBER 2,851,738

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T. J. COMBER Sept. 16, 1958 AUTOMATIC VACUUM CLEANERS FOR DRAWING FRAMESAND THE LIKE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 24, 1956 III Lax

United States Patent AUTOMATIC VACUUM CLEARERS FOR DRAW- ING FRAMES ANDTHE LIKE Thomas J. Camber, Knoxville, Tenn.

Application May 24, 1956, Serial No. 587,000

7 Claims. (Cl. 19-157) This invention relates to clearers or scavengersfor textile machines, and has as its object the provision of a novel andimproved system and apparatus for the automatic removal of loose fiberssuch as lint and fly, as Well as dirt and loose leaf, which gather uponthe covers, beams, and other parts of such textile machines,particularly in drawing frames, adjacent the trumpets and other guidesfor the slivers, rovings, and yarns in operations performed for theconversion of fibrous materials into yarns and the like.

During the operation of a drawing frame loose fibers separate from theslivers which are operated upon in such machine, and settle upon variousexposed portions of the machine. In particular these flying fibers arefloated forward by the air-currents generated by the advancing sliver,so that they land upon the beam or calender roll cover in front of thetrumpet, where they accumulate in a small pile, some of the fly landingupon the beam or cover at both sides of the trumpet. The accumulationsare increased by other like material which floats through the air fromadjoining machines. If left undisturbed, the accumulation before longbecomes two or more inches thick, and sooner or later portions of thismaterial that is piled up at the sides and front of the trumpet toppleover upon the trumpet, or are Wafted by moving air over upon it, inwhich case some or all of the Waste adheres to the moving sliver and iscarried by the latter through the trumpet. The portion of waste thusbecoming attached to the sliver becomes incorporated in the sliver as abunch which remains a part of the sliver in all the 'succeeding stagesand operations of the procdure, and is present in the resulting rovingand yarn. Fly collecting upon the beam or cover usually becomes more orless charged withoil, so that the portion which becomes added to thesliver produces a streak of discoloration. The bunch and discolorationwill show up in the cloth into which the yarn is woven. Consequently,the yarn and cloth will be classed as seconds, with loss of value.

In general practice it is usual for workers around drawing frames andthe like to wipe off deposits of lint and fly from time to time, with aview to the avoidance of what has just been described, but unlessfaithful attention is paid at short intervals to the portions of a beamor cover adjoining a trumpet or the like, such deposits will form to anextent resulting as stated in bunches being taken up by the sliver andbecoming incorporated therewith. Hence, if through inattention orindifference the workers neglect to perform the wiping at comparativelyfrequent intervals the result is the production of defective rovings,and the yarns made from the latter will likewise be defective.

In addition to causing production of defective yarns, the fly from thesliver may be disturbed by air currents in the area and remain suspendedin the air to be breathed by workers nearby. Under certain conditionsthis has become very irritating to the attendants and detrimental totheir health, and has resulted in lost man-hours.

The main object of the invention is to provide an automatic system whichwill prevent the accumulation of lint, fly and dirt at these locationsin a drawing frame or other textile machine, so as to obviate injury tothe quality of the yarn therefrom.

A particular object of the invention is to provide such a clearer systemwhich is capable of being installed on existing machines withoutdisturbance or change of the original parts of such machines, andwithout impeding the functions of such machines or the work of theattendant in running them; as Well as being able to be built into newmachines.

Another object is to attain economy of installation and operation, andto this end the invention provides a vacuum or suction type clearersystem which takes advantage of the fact that however essential it is toprevent accumulation of lint, fly and dirt at these critical points, theneed for clearing-is periodic and not continuous. Thus the improvedsystem provides a combination of vacuum clearer elements or suctionnozzles with means effecting intermittent or recurring flow of airthereinto at automatically timed intervals, so as to effect economy ofair-flow or suction. This discontinuous timed operation saves power andmakes a single continuous-running suction-producing device of modestcapacity able to serve a plurality of the machines to be cleaned.

Other objects of the invention and the manner of their attainment are aswill be made plain hereinafter.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown applied to adrawing frame, in which,

Fig. 1 is a front view and Fig. 2 a plan view of a portion of such frameincluding two deliveries, with a portion of the novel clearer servingsuch deliveries in place thereon.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical transverse section on line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a rear view of one of the deliveries of Figs. 1 and 2, partlyin section on line 44 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the timing mechanism.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section on line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a front view of the solenoid air valve controlled by thetiming mechanism.

The invention is shown as an attachment applied to a conventionaldrawing frame of the Whitin high speed type, in which the front drawingrolls 1 deliver the drawn fleece 3 to a trumpet 5 from which it emergesas a condensed sliver 6, passes through calender rolls 7, and

enters the spout 9 of the coiler head 11 which coils it in can 13. Thetrumpet 5 is mounted in an aperture formed for its reception in cover 15of the calender rolls, being supported by its flange 17 resting on plate19 forming a part of the cover. It is on the areas of this cover plate15 and its part 19 in front of and alongside the trumpet that thetroublesome accumulation of lint, fly, dirt and trash occurs.

In accordance with the invention, to clear these areas periodically asuction conduit or manifold 21 is mounted on the top surface of thecover 15. This manifold is provided with a slot 23 directly in front ofeach trumpet .5, such slot serving as an intake port or nozzle drawingin air over the front portion of the trumpets rim and over the area ofthe cover intervening between the rim and the manifold.

On each side of every slot 23 is provided a short nozzle 25 fixed in ahole in manifold 21 and with its bore in communication with the interiorof the manifold. These offset nozzles extend rearward beyond the frontedge of the trumpets rim and are ordinarily spaced apart a little lessthan the width of the rim, so as to take in air over the side portionsand to a lesser extent over the rear portion of the rim and also overthe areas of cover 15 at each side of the trumpet and to the rearthereof.

As is obvious, lint, fly, dirt and trash accumulatingon these portionsof the cover and trumpet are entrained by the air sucked into intakeports or nozzles 23 and 25 and swept off of such portions and carriedaway through manifold 21.

The manifold .21 is mounted on-the top surface of the cover 15 forwardof the trumpets 5, by means of clamps 27 attached by bolts 29 to thecover 15. No change in the original parts of the frame is needed toeffect this installation. If desired, U-shaped cradles open at the topwill replace the clamps 27 to hold the manifold so that it may be liftedfrom the cover 15, to facilitate cleaning under it. Both ends of thepipe forming the manifold 21 are capped and closed.

The manifold is connected by nipple 31, at rnidlength thereof, to aflexible suction hose 33 which is connected to any suitable type ofpower-driven vacuum-producer 32. which may be that serving the ceilingcondensers, the vacuum card strippers, or other devices, if available.Since the clearing action of the device is periodic and intermittent,the demand on the vacuum-producer is light, and hence where used alonefor these scavengers a single vacuum-producer of relatively low capacityis able to serve a number of drawing frames cleared successively. Hencevacuum pipe lines from the individual drawing frames, where the suctionhoses 33 are attached thereto, are permanently installed leading to atrunk line running to the waste bin, condenser, or other waste collector34 and the vacuum-producer.

In order to clear the desired areas periodically, each frame has its ownshut-off valve 36, Fig. 7, installed in the pipe 35 serving each frameat any suitable point in the length thereof. This valve is of the typeusing a gravitating sliding shutter 37 closing the passage through itshousing 39 into the hubs of Which the meeting ends of two lengths of thepipe 35 are screwed. A solenoid 41 on a plate mounted on the housing hasits armature 43 attached to the shank 45, which opens the valve when thewindings of the solenoid are energized.

Each solenoid is connected by twin leads 47 with a source of low-voltagecurrent through a circuit which includes one of a plurality of mercuryswitches 49 in a timer or distributor 51 comprising a lint-proof closedhousing mounted in any convenient location as for example within theframing of one of the drawing frames of the group to be cleared.

The timer illustrated herewith is of very simple construction,comprising controls for the clearers of three drawing frames. A 1 R.PVM. synchronous motor 53 supplied with A. C. current through leads 55turns a shaft 57 mounted in bearings 59 on standards 60 and equippedwith strikers 61 set at angles of 120 apart. Opposite each striker is arocker 63 pivoting on a fixed shaft 65 mounted in uprights 67, spacers63 holding the rockers in proper relation. Each rocker has fixed thereona yoke 69 in which is fixed one of the mercury switches 49. A finger 71fixed on rocker 63 extends into the path of rotation of striker 61. Theoperation is obvious: every 20 seconds, one of the strikers 61, rotatingcounterclockwise in Fig. 6, engages the finger 71 of its associatedrocker, lifting it and holding the mercury switch 49 tilted to close thecircuit between its two electrodes 73, energizing the solenoid connectedthereto and opening the gate 37 of the valve of one drawing frame,producing a rush of air lasting for 4 or 5 seconds in through thenozzles 23, 25 at each trumpet of such frame, which sucks in theaccumulated lint and other material within its range in the vicinity ofthe trumpet, thus clearing these areas once every minute.

The use of the mercury switches prevents a fire hazard incident tosparking with other types of switching devices utilizing make-and-breakcontacts.

A stop rail 75 supports the mercury cell rockers, overbalanced by theirfingers 71, in open-circuit position while awaiting actuation.

Means for equalizing the suction to the several frames is provided insimple manner by making an inlet 77 in pipe 35 and providing a slidingsleeve 79 to close as much of the area of the inlet 77 as may be neededto adjust the suction at the nozzles of the clearer served by such pipe35.

While I have illustrated and described a certain form in which myinvention may be embodied, I am aware that many modifications may bemade therein by any person skilled in the art, Without departing fromthe scope of the invention as expressed in the claims. Therefore, I donot wish to be limited to the particular form shown, or to the detailsof construction thereof, but what I do claim is:

l. A loose fiber clearer for drawing frames and the like having trumpetsand supports therefor, comprising in combination a vacuum-producer, aconduit in communication therewith having intake nozzles in front of andalongside a trumpet, and means automatically permitting and arrestingthe fiow of air through the nozzles to the vacuum-producer at timedintervals.

2. A loose fiber clearer for drawing frames and the like having trumpetsand supports therefor, comprising in combination a vacuum-producer, amanifold in communication therewith mounted in front of the trumpetshaving intake nozzles drawing in air over and across the trumpets, apipe connecting the manifold with the vacuum-producer, a valvepreventing air flow through the pipe, and means periodically opening andshutting the valve automatically.

3. A loose fiber clearer for drawing frames and the like having trumpetsand supports therefor, comprising in combination a vacuum-producer, amanifold in communication therewith mounted on the trumpet support infront of the trumpets having intake ports in front of and beside thetrumpets, and means automatically permitting and arresting the flow ofair through the intake ports at timed intervals and for predeterminedperiods of time.

4. A loose fiber clearer for drawing frames and the like having rollcovers and trumpets therein, comprising in combination avacuum-producer, a manifold in communication therewith mounted on a rollcover in front of the trumpet and having an intake nozzle in front ofeach trumpet and intake nozzles at each side thereof, a valve permittingand arresting the flow of air through the intake nozzles to thevacuum-producer, and valve controlling means automatically opening andclosing the valve at timed intervals and for predetermined intervals oftime.

5. A loose fiber clearer for drawing frames and the like having trumpetsand roll covers, comprising in combination a vacuum-producer, a manifoldon each frame incommunication with the vacuum-producer, intake nozzlesin the manifold adjacent the trumpets, and means automatically arrestingthe flow of air through the intake nozzles of each frame and permittingthe flow through the nozzles of another frame, in succession.

6. A loose fiber clearer for drawing frames and the like having guidesfor the strands being processed therein and adjacent lint-collectingsurfaces, comprising in combination a manifold having intake portsadjacent the respective' guides extending transversely of the path ofthe strands and intake nozzles extending out from the manifold at eachside of each intake port over the said surfaces, a vacuum-producer incommunication with the manifold, and means automatically restricting theair flow through the manifoldto the vacuum-producer to predeterminedintervals and duration.

7. A loose fiber clearer for drawing frames and the like having a rollcover and trumpets thereon, comprising a manifold mounted on the rollcover forward of the trumpetsand in spaced and parallel relation to theseries of such trumpets, the manifold having an intake port oppositeeach trumpet and an intake nozzle reach- 5 ing rearward alongside eachtrumpet beyond the front part of the latter, a vacuum-producer, aconduit connecting the manifold with the vacuum-producer, a valveclosing the conduit, and a timer opening the valve periodically for apredetermined duration.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,416,553 Garland May 16, 1922 6 Pross Nov. 15, 1938 Baird Mar. 7, 1944Harris Mar. 22, 1955 Buchanan Oct. 4, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS Austria June25, 1955 Great Britain Oct. 15, 1952

